Search This Blog

Gaza: A devastating aftermath

As more and more evidence emerges of how the Israelis targeted Gazans generally - as distinct from so-called Hamas terrorists - and infrastructure in Gaza (power and water supplies, factories and farmlands) in the recent bombardment of Gaza, this piece from Forward details the breadth and effect of the Israeli onslaught. Killing people, many of them innocent civilians, and children to boot, was bad enough, but the widespread devastation otherwise will take years to be made good.

"The conflict in Gaza has caused serious damage to crops, herds and fishing as well as greenhouses and irrigation systems, bringing food production to a halt and sending prices sharply higher, the United Nations food body said on Thursday.The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement that virtually the entire local population of about 1.8 million was dependent on food aid and significant long term help would be needed for local farms to recover."

****

"Food prices have shot up for many items since the start of hostilities, with egg prices up 40 percent, potatoes up 42 percent and tomatoes up as much as 179 percent.FAO said there had been substantial direct damage to the 17,000 hectares of croplands in Gaza and the area had lost around half its population of poultry either through direct hits on shelters or by lack of feed or water.Around 64,000 sheep and goats needed feed and water, while the fishing sector had lost 234.6 tonnes of potential catch in from July 9-Aug. 10, around 9.3 percent of the annual catch.According to FAO, some 19,000 people in Gaza rely on farming for their livelihoods, with a further 6,000 living from livestock raising and another 3,600 dependent on fishing.It said it could begin distributing fodder to sheep and goats as well as 4,000 water ttanks as soon as a permanent ceasefire was established."

"Palestinian municipal elections were supposed to be held last week. Instead, they were canceled. A statement released by the Palestinian Authority claimed the cancellation was "in order to pave the way for a successful end to the siege on Gaza and for continued efforts at unity" between Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, and the government in the West Bank.

The cancellation of this election was an unjustified, unlawful, and unacceptable act. It damages democratic rights and makes a mockery of the interests of the Palestinian people.

But this is far more than an internal Palestinian issue. The only lasting peace between Isr…